Delaware Needs Housing, Not Handcuffs

While the federal government targets unhoused people, Delaware has a chance to protect them.

2024: US Supreme Court uproots 40 years of legal precedent on homelessness.

This ruling says that it is not cruel and unusual punishment to criminalize unhoused people for camping outside. While it doesn’t force localities to criminalize the unhoused, it makes it easier to do so.

2025: Trump targets unhoused people with involuntary detention.

Pres. Trump’s Executive Order makes it easier to arrest unhoused people for sleeping outside. It also turns away from the “Housing First” model, where people are given shelter first, then wrap-around services to address underlying issues.

Local governments in Delaware are criminalizing homelessness

HB 135 protects unhoused people from arrest for sleeping outside when no shelter is available.

Delaware doesn’t have enough shelter beds for everyone in need. In 2024, even though more than 7,100 households needed homelessness assistance, only 952 got referrals to homeless assistance resources.

The DeBorah Gilbert White Act encourages local governments to work with homeless service providers to address homelessness. It prohibits local governments from criminalizing people for living outside, when there is no shelter available.